Barley is one of the world's most important cereal crops. In addition to containing eight essential amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals essential to health, barley is also high in dietary fiber.
Beta-glucans (β-glucans) are an important component of the dietary fiber present in barley. β-glucan has many known health benefits and thus, the inclusion of barley in the diet can have many beneficial effects. Indeed, eating whole-grain barley has been shown to help regulate blood sugar and eating barley also helps to lower cholesterol levels, reduces visceral fat and lowers the incidence of heart disease (see e.g., Nilsson, A.; et al. (2006) European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 60 (9): 1092-1099; Pick M, et al. (1998) Int J Food Sci Nutr. 49(1):71-78; Zeković D B, et al. Critical Reviews in Biotechnology. 2005; 25(4):205-230; Jue Li, et al. Nutrition—November 2004 (Vol. 20, Issue 11, Pages 1003-1007, Abumweis S S, et al. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2010; 64(12):1472-1480; Choi J S, et al. Molecular nutrition & food research. 2010 July; 54(7):1004-1013; D. El Khoury, et al. J Nutr Metab. 2012; 2012; Carlo Agostoni et al. EFSA Journal 2011; 9(12):2471; Shimizu, C. et al. Plant Foods and Human Nutrition, March 2008; 63(1):21-5).
Given the health benefits of β-glucan consumption, a barley cultivar having grain with ultra-high beta-glucan content is highly desirable.
Fortunately, as will be clear from the following disclosure, the present invention provides for these and other needs.